Dikili is a small town on the Turkish coast. The harbor has been a major site of the refugee crisis, as Syrian refugees attempting to cross the Aegean to the Greek island of Lesbos have been returned here since the EU-Turkey deal has gone into effect. The green dots portray our drive off the highway to the town square. From there, the orange dots represent our walk to the harbor itself, surrounded by cafes, markets, and small shops. As you can see, the refugees were taken directly through a populated area not far from the main highway. This isn't something Turkish citizens can turn a blind eye to.

Just as in Assos, we have arrived a few weeks too late. There are no refugees in sight, as buses picked them up directly at the harbor and took them straight to state-run refugee camps, and the flow of refugees in general has almost stopped completely since the deal began. Out of sight, out of mind? Perhaps.

Or perhaps not. The presence of the crisis is unmistakable here if you know what to look for. First, you notice the large white ship docked at the port. Next, you notice the small ship next to it, belonging to the Turkish Navy with an armed guard on duty. We are told the Navy has no reason to be here other than in relation to the crisis. At the end of the dock there are police barricades both forming corrals and stacked. Dozens of them. Behind us is a Coast Guard boat and another drives into the harbor as we stand there. Again, we are told Dikili is a small port, they typically would only have one. Minor details that would have been lost on us without our Turkish guide.

It's not out of sight or mind at all, the harbor is filled with people drinking their afternoon tea and going about their business. But does anyone know exactly where these refugee camps are or how they are being treated? We don't stay long enough to speak with any locals, but the atmosphere of the harbor feels as though if they ignore the increased police and military presence, Dikili will become the sleepy Turkish coast town overshadowed by nearby Izmir that it was before.

i. Germany officially recognizes the Armenian genocideii. Turkey pulls the Turkish Ambassador from Berliniii. EU-Turkey deal is off the tableiv. Turkey and Syria agree to a border buffer zone deal with the Kurds

Our first day of the journey from Bodrum to Belgrade. We left Istanbul as the sun rose over the Asian side of the city and wound our way down the western coast to Assos, Turkey, a small town overlooking the Aegean Sea. Eight miles off the coast, the Greek island of Lesbos spread across the horizon. To us, eight miles seems like nothing. It even looked swimmable to the competitive among us, but to Syrian refugees the distance appears much greater and has a very different context. Because only eight miles away lays the EU, and if they can make it that far, they have overcome a significant hurdle towards getting to mainland Europe, and in most cases they are hoping their journey won't end until they reach Germany.

We spent the night at a hotel down the hill from Assos, on a small dirt road along the water filled with small tourist accommodations and local fishermen. It was empty. Over dinner we spoke with the hotel owner's son about his direct experience with the refugee crisis. Between September 2015 and March 2016 dozens of tour buses would arrive each and every day filled past capacity with Syrians. The smugglers they paid to take them across the water to Greek territory used vessels unfit for the crossing and often went regardless of impending storms, much to the horror of locals. With the support, and sometimes turned blind eye, of the local police, the local residents took safety matters into their own hands. Some boats sank, but fishermen were able to drive their boats out to rescue the refugees in time, then confronted the smugglers and threatened to shoot them if they attempted the crossing in unsafe conditions.

"We will shoot and kill you and bury you here where no one will find you."

Photo by: Everita Silina

The owner's son estimated that tens of thousands of refugees crossed from the shore to Lesbos in those seven months. The roads were packed with Syrians disembarking the buses and wandering with their life jackets as they waited for boats to cross. It was eerie almost, sitting outside beneath the trees on this empty main road, imagining so many people waiting for their chance for safety and freedom.

The influx of Syrians stopped almost immediately after the EU-Turkey deal went into effect on 20 March 2016. The EU gave Turkey 3 billion euros to "assist" with the crisis, which allowed Assos to increase their police force of 10 officers to 55. Still, Turkey had already spent over 9 billion for the refugees and their tourism industry is down over 70%. Turks are frustrated. On a short walk along the water after dinner, every restaurant and bar had no more than one table filled. Tomorrow we continue to Bodrum, another major crossing point for Syrians to reach the Greek island of Kos.

We are working our way to where the refugees now are. We are working our way to the heart of the crisis.